


The Sacrificial Lamb

by ftbprotocol



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Future, Gen, Happy Ending, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:16:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21699109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ftbprotocol/pseuds/ftbprotocol
Summary: There exists a Star where the dreaded Accursed was never awakened from his millennia long slumber. After traveling the world and emerging from reflection, King Noctis sails to Angelguard to fulfill the prophesy. Unfortunately, no one told him that Adagium wasn't just a daemon, but a man, chained up for him to sacrifice. Within the confines of the prison, the thirty-eight year old King hesitates.
Relationships: Ardyn Izunia & Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 43
Kudos: 226





	1. Angelguard

**Author's Note:**

> Whelp, this ended up being way longer than I meant it to be. :P This is part 1 of 3. It's all written, I just need to finish editing the rest as I don't have a Beta.
> 
> This chapter is mostly setting the stage, and if anything in my alternate history is unclear please let me know and I'll fix it/add an explanation. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

There exists a Star where the dreaded Accursed was never awakened from his millennia long slumber. On this Star where Adagium did not bring about the Long Night at the Gods' behest, one might think that the Chosen King was never named, instead left to live his life as he willed. But daemons still stalked the night, haunting the dark places of the world, unearthed by an Empire searching for ancient glory.

While the line of Oracles could temporarily stem the tide, nothing could stop their inevitable spread.

The Long Night still fell.

Noctis Lucis Caelum stood on the prow of one of his Father's old yachts, watching the sweeping wings of Angelguard grow on the horizon. Their dark shapes cut through the encompassing, dark grey sky. The slight lightening from black to grey was the only indication that the sun should be shinning in this time of eternal night.

Behind him, Ignis sat at the helm, carefully steering them through the shallow waters, wary of the daemon's that lurked in the deep. Prompto and Gladiolus were in the hold, catching up on the sleep they'd lost while watching over their camp last 'night'. Queen Lunafreya and Prince Ravus sat in the upper cabin, heads bent together, whispering.

The King of Lucis could join them. Probably should. But he was still readying himself, both physically and mentally, for the confrontation that awaited him on the island. The changed world he'd emerged to from the Crystal was still a shock, one he was still trying to wrap his head around. Not that the future would be his problem. That would be left to the people at his back.

Noctis braced himself as Ignis steered the ship around a floating pile of debris. He gripped the railing with one hand, before belatedly remembering to use the cane in the other to steady himself. He was still getting used to the cane Ignis had procured for him. And it didn't help that it brought to mind old, bitter memories. Of his Father struggling to walk in his last days. Of what the Crystal and the war took from him.

But at the same time... there were more good memories than bad of that time. Back before he'd entered into reflection within the Crystal. He did not like this new world he'd emerged into. He didn't approve of how Insomnia had changed. He wanted to remember Lucis as it was, not as it had become.

The only positive change within his kingdom lay in what the bustling city of Lestallum had grown into. From its humble beginnings, it now sheltered a thriving community built with light wrung from the shards of the meteor.

Insomnia was... ugh. At least it was still standing.

Where had this long descent into Darkness started? The fall of Niflheim - at least from Noctis' perspective. That aging Empire had grown more and more desperate as Lucis refused to surrender. And as the number of daemons grew, it had collapsed under the weight of what they had brought into the world. For that was the event that catapulted Noctis into the spotlight, and sent him travelling the realm.

Rumours had reached him while searching for his ancestor's tombs of what became of Gralea. The refugees flooding Lucis whispering of the first city of Daemons.

A part of Noctis was still vindictively pleased by this fact. Niflheim had ignored the Oracles' pleas to stop digging up daemons for decades. In their desperation to win the war with Lucis, they never stopped. Not realizing that each daemon they dug up and unleashed on the battlefield, led to more appearing in the countryside.

His relief at seeing Lucis still standing once he emerged from the Crystal ten years later could not be overstated. Not after the disaster he'd returned home to after collecting the Royal Arms and the Gods' blessings. No, those were memories he didn't want to dwell on right now, better to remember their time on the road.

Traveling with his friends, even with the heavy weight on all their shoulders, had been the last moments of joy he'd experienced in his short life. Sure, there had been hardship on their journey. And seeing the world outside the protective wall of Lucis had opened his eyes to a level of suffering beyond what he had ever imagined. But for all the darkness they'd encountered, he'd also been amazed at the resiliency of his people. At their kindness. At the lengths they were willing to go to help each other.

These days, there were people that no longer even called themselves Lucian, according to Prompto, as abandoned as they had been by the Crown City. Instead, they were Duscaen, or sometimes, Lestallians. The latter was still a work in progress, apparently.

"Hey buddy," Prompto joined him on the prow, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Hey." Noctis glanced over at his childhood friend. His blond goatee had grown these past ten years. He still kept it neatly trimmed, as he had in his early twenties, but it was no longer the scraggly, half-filled in thing it once was. Unlike Noctis' own beard, which had finally filled in and grown to the point he resembled his Father.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Noctis asked.

"Yeah..." Prompto hunched a little guiltily, looking back at an exasperated Ignis. "Couldn't sleep, ya know?"

Such a simple thing to say, and yet it contained all the trepidation Noctis was feeling. "Yeah." He echoed, agreeing with all that was left unsaid. Even after ten years without him, it had been surprisingly easy to fall back into old habits with Prompto.

For Noctis it still felt like just yesterday that he was walking into the Crystal's containment room within the Citadel, ready to enter into reflection and protect his kingdom from the growing darkness. He still felt like the twenty-eight year old prince he once was, not the thirty-eight year old King he'd become.

Everyone had changed during his time in the Crystal. Ignis and Gladiolus had become leaders of Insomnia's administration and defence, respectively. And the effect of that much responsibility showed in their manner. Prompto had dedicated himself to the defence of those without the Crystal's power, and spent most of his time in Lestallum, sometimes escorting Lunafreya and Ravus between the two cities.

Though battle hardened and more serious than Noctis remembered, his friend still took the time to chronicle his adventures with his camera. It had been such a relief to renew their bond over the pictures. They'd been a window into a life Noctis could've had. A vicarious experience of the missing ten years that he greatly appreciated.

"Does Gladio...?"

"Still snore like a honking Daggerquill? Yes. Yes he does."

"Heh." Noctis smirked slightly. If there was one thing he didn't miss about the camping trip through the realm, it was sharing a tent with Gladio. Earplugs had almost supplanted Prompto from his best friend status.

His smile faded at the reminder of a time of simpler worries. A time when his dad was still alive. When the wall still surrounded the city of Insomnia. Before the riots. Before the betrayal.

He and Prompto stood for quite a while at the prow, the ship moving slow enough that they were in no danger from the spray. Both silently watching the island approach. Both unsure how to broach the topic of what awaited Noctis there.

It was a comfortable silence at least.

"Your Majesty." Queen Lunafreya Nox Fleuret spoke from behind them.

"Oh!" Prompto startled, spinning smoothly to bow before the other monarch. It was still weird to see his friend acting so smooth with royalty. Not when he used to suffer such extreme anxiety when they were younger, whenever a noble who wasn't Noct was before him.

Noctis turned, careful to remember to use his cane, and nodded respectfully to her, as one monarch to another. Even if she was a Queen in exile, she was still a Queen.

Exile, and the awakening of the Gods, had not treated her well. Her face was lined like that of a woman a decade older than her forty-two years. She still walked with a cane, as she'd been forced to when they made the final covenant with Leviathan, the damage still not healed.

They made quite the pair. The paintings of the prophecy had certainly downplayed the physical toll their roles would take. For her, the awakening of the Gods and the constant magical pressure of the Scourge. For him, the years within the Crystal and then the reception of the power of Kings on the throne.

He could feel the power of the thirteen Kings swirling within him. Anxious to be unleashed on the source of the Starscourge. To fulfill the purpose they'd been created for all those long years ago. Thankfully they were almost there. His body just had to hold out for a few more hours.

"Thank you Prompto," She acknowledged his greeting. "Are you both prepared for what is to come?"

If he was still the bratty man he'd been in his early twenties, he probably would have awkwardly mumbled a 'yeah' and turned his back to her. Instead, he simply inclined his head, and said,"I'm ready to do my duty, as the King of Kings."

"I should probably..." Prompto sidled away from them. Perhaps not quite as changed as Noctis had first assumed. He watched his friend approach Ignis with a fond smile and an ache in his heart.

"Apologies for not expressing this earlier, but it is good to see you again Noctis." She smiled at him. It was a practised, distant smile. The ten years since their trek across the continent for the Gods' blessing had not been easy on her. And their old friendship had proven difficult to rekindle since his return. Not once Noctis had learned all she had kept from him.

She'd reacted in kind to his initial distance, and had yet to attempt to breach it. Maybe this was her one attempt at reconciliation, just before his end.

"Have the Gods' told you any more about what we can expect on the island?" He asked, instead of responding to her olive branch.

Her smile lost what little warmth it'd had, cementing in his mind the suspicion he'd had when he'd first awakened. According to Ignis, she had been the most vocal proponent of not waiting for Prompto to join them in Insomnia, before Noctis' Ascension. It was something he couldn't quite forgive her for.

Lying to him about what would happen when he approached the Crystal, and the sacrifice he'd have to make once he awoke, he could understand. She was only doing her part in Bahamut's trial. She hadn't wanted him to hesitate when the time to prove himself to the Draconian came.

But trying to deny him the comfort of his friends while he did it?

"Only to confirm what the records in Tenebrae and Insomnia already told. That Adagium is the source of the Starscourge, and only the King of Kings can cleanse our Star and bring back the dawn."

Noctis nodded. Bahamut had called it the Accursed. But something about what Bahamut had said during Reflection did not add up with the written accounts, hence his question. Bahamut had claimed the Accursed was 'impure of soul' and was therefore denied ascension. Noctis had at first thought that meant the Accursed was immortal and could not ascend to the beyond. The old texts in Insomnia had claimed that as well.

But, during Reflection, Noctis had remembered that ascension could also be used in the context of a King ascending the throne. And there had been that one account, hidden in the archives, that claimed Adagium was a monster with royal blood, who could take the form of a man.

Noctis couldn't help but wonder if something was being kept from him again.

Unfortunately, the world had already been suffering under an eternal night for five years now, and people were beginning to starve. If Noctis' death saved all those lives by bringing back the dawn, then he couldn't afford to sweat the details. He had to trust in the Gods.

He stepped past her, careful to avoid her cane with his own, to join Ignis and Prompto at the helm. He wanted his last moments to be with his friends. It was for their future that he was doing this after all.

Prince Ravus walked past him as he approached the helm, a vaguely disdainful look on his face. Probably assuming that Noctis had insulted his Queen somehow. Or just being his ever dutiful, obsessive self.

"Hey Specs." He greeted, before Ignis could start them off on a formal note again, trying to signify that he wanted their last moments to be casual.

"Noct." His friend smiled his familiar, restrained smile. "We should reach the shores of Angelguard within the next half hour." He adjusted his glasses, taking one hand off the wheel. "The seas have been surprisingly calm, given all the rumours of the Island."

Noctis wanted to roll his eyes, but refrained. Even while being informal, he still felt the need to give Noctis a status report. Noct just smiled fondly at his old advisor.

"That so?" He asked, leaning a bit more heavily on his cane, "Thought you said the waters around the island were treacherous except for a few days of the year."

"And yet, miraculously, today appears to be one of those days. Or nights, as it were."

"Guess the Gods are clearing the way for us." Prompto slouched to the side, going through all the pictures he'd taken since Noctis had emerged. It was bound to be hundreds by now.

Prompto didn't know how right he was. Noctis could feel evidence of Ramuh in the wind, and see Leviathan's wake in the waves.

"Oh hey!" Prompto exclaimed, "Noct, stand behind Ignis- no over here- yeah like that-" Prompto manoeuvred him until he was standing behind and to the side of Ignis, hand resting on the backrest, while Ignis continued to steer the ship.

Prompto stepped in front of them and began to take pictures. Noctis smiled fondly at him as he climbed onto the side railing to get a different perspective. Always hunting for the perfect shot. Noctis had picked up enough about photography to know that the lack of natural light probably made taking a good picture difficult. The harsh lights of the boats would give their faces deep shadows.

"Must you always enact such unseemly displays." Ravus sneered. The decade with Noctis gone, and the pressures it put on the Oracle, had made the Prince even more sour than when they'd first met on the road.

Prompto jumped back onto the deck, awkwardly laughing the comment off. The sight of Prompto cringing into himself, even if it was only for half a second, spurred Noctis to action.

"Queen Lunafreya, please remind your brother that he is a guest on this ship." He tightened a gloved hand on the seat's leather back, "If he cannot remember his manners, he is invited to spend the rest of the trip below deck."

Ravus' face went stony at his rebuke. Noctis had never gotten along with Ravus, and didn't like what he'd heard of him since. Of all the people on the ship, he was the one who believed the most in the importance of blood. According to Prompto, that had led him into conflict with quite a few of the leaders of Lestallum, who put competence before all else, and were willing to accept and promote people from all walks of life. Lestallum welcomed everyone and was a true equal community.

Prince Ravus' influence, and the remaining Noble families, were the reason Insomnia remained as anti-outsider and militaristic as it had before King Regis' death. Noctis had to wonder what would happen once the dawn broke and the two cities were no longer required to work together against a common threat.

"Of course, your Majesty" Lunafreya bowed her head to him, "My brother deeply apologizes for any offence he may have caused."

Noctis nodded, from one Monarch to another, and watched them head to the covered area in the back of the ship. Ravus walked on the opposite side of Lunafreya's cane, ever vigilant in case she needed his help. From Noctis' own experience, it looked annoying and stifling.

"Can you believe I almost had **him** as a brother-in-law?" Noct asked, annoyed that their easy camaraderie had been disrupted.

"Oh yeah! I forgot you were engaged to her for a while." Prompto exclaimed, good mood hesitantly restored.

"The Lord Ravus is not always quite so..." Ignis tried to defend the man he often found himself working with.

Noct shook his head, "Dad just wanted an excuse to bring her to Insomnia while the Empire was falling apart."

"Oh. I... didn't know that." The blond rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Probably remembering all those times he'd teased Noct about it.

"Hey, it's fine." Noct walked up to him and bumped shoulders. "Now, didn't you mention a certain embarrassing picture...?" He trailed off, looking to Ignis.

The man indignantly raised his eyebrows at Prompto, "I distinctly remember you swearing to delete that photo."

Prompto raised both hands in surrender, camera dangling from his neck, "I promised no one else would ever see it! I said nothing about deleting it!"

"Surely it was implied-!" Ignis looked severely at Prompto over his glasses.

"Surely an exception can be made for me." Noct good naturedly fired back, hand to his chest, knowing Ignis would give in eventually, giving his old advisor the best puppy dog eyes a thirty-eight year old man could give.

Noct watched as Ignis almost caved, but then rallied to put up a token protest, arguing the semantics of an agreement made years ago. Noct leaned back and watched it all, basking in the warmth of his friends' company.

Soon he'd have to fulfill his destiny. Soon, the fate the Gods had bestowed upon him would be fulfilled.

If only these last moments with his friends could last forever. Instead, he would walk to his final sacrifice with the memories he forged with them held close to his heart.

Gladiolus joined them as they began to navigate the gently swirling pools surrounding the holy island. The big man was mostly silent, eyes scanning the waters and the air for any potential threats. He did this knowing the boat's lights, shinning in all directions, kept them mostly safe from the daemons. Gladiolus took his responsibility as Shield a little too seriously sometimes.

Noctis wanted to ask him what he thought he was protecting his King from, when his charge would be sacrificing himself in mere moments. But he didn't. Their once rocky friendship had been even further strained when his sister died near the end of the riots. Noctis always suspected the older man blamed the then Prince for not completing his journey to gain the Royal Arms faster.

Not that Noctis' return would have calmed the protesters down. It had gone on too long by that point. No, Noctis understood Gladio's silence. For he shared the same regret, the same feeling of 'what if'. Perhaps if they'd both been at the Citadel, they could have saved Iris and Regis, respectively. But Noctis also knew they might have changed nothing, and simply died at the hands of their betrayers.

The island was quiet. Gladio and Prompto tied the ship to a couple rocky outcrops, leaving enough slack to account for the shifts in the tide. Not that the ritual should take that long, but it was good to be prepared.

The rocks and sand looked black under the dark grey sky, except for where the bright lights of the ship cut through the air. Up above the beach, Noctis could just make out the rocky sentinels that were said to guard the entrance to Adagium's prison.

Once everyone had disembarked, and the ship secure, they turned to Noctis to lead them up the path. He couldn't quite bring himself to say anything profound, not yet, like they were probably expecting, so he settled with a simple, "Let's go."

They began the short trek up the beach, the hard packed sand barely shifting under their boots. He kept the pace slow, not out of any personal reluctance as his cane didn't slow him down too much, but so as not to outpace the Oracle, who had replaced her cane with her Trident.

They quickly settled into a loose formation. Noctis leading, with Lunafreya a step behind. Gladiolus kept to the side in order to give himself room to swing his large sword as needed. Prompto and Ignis carried bright, Daemon repelling lights, which they shone on the areas the boat's lights couldn't reach. Ravus brought up the rear, also eyeing their surroundings for any threat.

The sandy beach gave way to smooth cut rock. Noctis didn't need to worry about where to go, for a path was carved towards what almost looked like stone swords. He paused for a moment, unsure if he'd need to walk among them to find the entrance, when Prompto's light caught on a small door carved in the rock.

He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He'd already said his personal goodbye's to his friends individually. But he should probably say something to the group one last time. When he was only a few steps from the stone door, he turned, leaning on the cane to take some of the weight off his back.

"Thank you all for coming here with me."

He looked to Lunafreya and Ravus first. A regal curtsy and courtly bow were their responses, respectfully. He bowed to them in return, acknowledging and returning their respect. Though he had been a bit short with them on the boat, he was still grateful for their support all those years ago. And he was impressed by all they had done to keep hope alive amongst the people while they waited for him.

He looked to Gladio next, who saluted him as a crownsguard to his King.

"End of the Road. It's all you now." Gladio swallowed, uncomfortable and conflicted but doing his best not to show it.

"Yeah, you got me here." Noctis smiled at his shield, and Gladio smirked back.

"Damn right I did." It was a bittersweet goodbye. He'd completed his duty as Shield, and was rightfully proud, but now that duty was complete.

Prompto surged forward after that, fiddling with something in his hands.

"Here buddy, I picked a good one, just like you asked." He was more subdued than usual, normally when he was upset or uncomfortable he dialed his hyperactivity up to compensate. But the sombre and ceremonial nature of the moment had obviously caught up to him.

Noctis took the picture from the blond, looking down as he did.

It was a picture of just the four of them, enjoying a meal around the campfire. It wasn't a special scene, they'd spent many nights like that. What was unique however was that Prompto was in it, relaxed and waving a fork around, completely unaware that a picture was being taken.

Lunafreya must've been the one to take the picture.

Noct smiled at his friend, grateful. "Thanks." He folded the picture and put it in his breast pocket, a talisman to take with him into the dark.

Prompto nodded jerkily and stepped back, leaving only Ignis.

His advisor had a severe frown on his face, one that he cleared as soon as they made eye contact. Of them all Ignis had been the most upset when Noctis took him aside to tell him the truth of the prophecy. He'd been distraught that Lunafreya hadn't seen fit to tell anyone, but his anger had collapsed under Noctis' conviction to see the prophecy through.

"My King." Ignis bowed, echoing Gladio, keeping a level of distance and formality between them. "Please, allow me to accom-"

Noctis shook his head, and Ignis cut himself off. "This is one burden I can't share with you. With any of you." He smiled at the man he considered an older brother and echoed the words he'd said to him back in Insomnia, "I may not have you at my side, but I'll always have you in my heart." Noctis pressed a hand to the pocket he'd slipped the photo into.

Ignis bowed his head, but nodded his understanding.

"Thank you. For always standing by my side."

Noctis forced himself to look away from Ignis and took in the serious faces of all the others.

"It's time to finish this... Guess I'll see you guys on the other side." He gave his friends one last smile, eyes lingering on Prompto and Ignis last. There were no tears, not anymore, the time for them was long past. Everyone had come to terms with what was to happen as well as they could.

Noctis turned and walked as regally as he could towards the stone door. He pressed one hand against the cool stone, not completely sure what he'd have to do to open it. For a brief moment, nothing happened, and he began to wonder if he was about to embarrass himself while everyone was watching.

But then runes, similar to the ones found at the Havens, began to glow faintly under his hand, spreading to encompass the entire door. They glowed, lighting him up with a blue halo. Just as they were reaching the point of being painful to look at, the runes started to go dark, starting directly under his hand, then fanning out to the others in a darkened ring. Once the last rune went out, the stone door shifted slightly, loosening. It took both hands, but Noctis was able to push the heavy door inward enough for him to slip through.

With one last glance at his friends, one last smile, he entered the dark prison.

Noctis' friends waited outside the prison door, grim and silent.

Ravus came to stand next to his sister, still anxiously scanning their surroundings, refusing to let his guard down until the True King had completed his purpose.

Prompto and Gladio wondered to themselves what would happen when their friend and King succeeded. Would the change be instant? Or would the darkness take a few days, or even years, to clear the sky. As it took years for the darkness to reach its current shade.

Ignis wondered if there would be a body for him to recover, or if he'd be mourning an empty grave.

They couldn't have been waiting long. Long enough for Gladio to begin pacing the perimeter of their group, and Ignis and Promto to resume their role of light bearers. No more than ten minutes at most, when a noise from the prison had them all gripping their weapons.

To their shock, the source of the noise was stomping footsteps and the vicious clack of a cane on stone. It sounded too human to be the caged daemon, but they were ready to hold the door if their King needed them to.

Except what emerged from the prison was their King. Furious and enraged. He stopped at the threshold, glaring out at them.

"What? What happened?" Gladio was the first to ask what they all were thinking.

Noctis didn't answer, didn't even look at any of them, his eyes were only for Lunafreya.

He demanded, "Oracle. Come here."

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Using her trident, she took a few shuffling steps forward.

Ravus moved to stop her, one hand snaking out, narrowing his eyes at Noctis, "Wait. You don't need her to perform the ritual. What have you done?"

"It's fine Ravus." She calmly removed his hand from her shoulder. Ravus wasn't happy, but subsided with a severe look from her, begrudgingly stepping back.

"Uhh... should we?" Prompto asked, motioning to show he was asking if they should follow the Oracle.

Noctis shook his head firmly, "You all stay out here. This is between the two of us."

With that he spun on his heel, stalking back down into the darkness. Lunafreya slowly following on his heels.

"That can't be good." Prompto gulped.

"Indeed." Ignis stared after his King, wishing he could follow. "Best to prepare ourselves."

"Yeah." Gladio agreed, spooked by how angry Noctis had looked. "But for what?"


	2. Adagium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was super cathartic to write, hope you all enjoy! :)

The King of Light marched back into the darkness of the prison, the flashlight clipped to his hip lighting the way. He didn't wait for the Oracle, too agitated to slow his pace for her, his cane striking the stones at twice the pace of her trident.

He'd entered the place expecting to have to fight the King of all daemons, the source of the Starscourge. Instead, he'd found... he wasn't sure what he'd found.

Noctis came to the end of the carved entryway. What greeted him was the same sight that'd left him staring in growing anger. Until he could no longer stand still, and sought the Oracle.

It looked like a man. A man with chains embedded all around his torso, suspending him in the air. His arms were raised above him, cruel looking spikes stabbing right through the palms. Bare feet were tightly wrapped in chains, hanging limply a foot in the air.

The chains may once have contained powerful magic, but Noctis could only feel the fading remnants of very weak seals.

He knew that the prison on Angelguard was the place he'd find the daemon he was fated to kill, Bahamut had shown him exactly where to go. He was certain that he was in the right place. But the Draconian had not shown Noctis what the daemon looked like.

 _ **This**_ _is the dreaded Starscourge I'm meant to defeat at the cost of my life!?_

He was glad he hadn't allowed the others to follow. Noctis was frozen once again, unable to say anything in the face of the daemon, chained like an offering. Held immobile like a beast before an altar of the Gods for a ritual sacrifice.

The braziers lining the walls illuminated the rags held around the daemon's waist, still lit by the quick fire spell he'd initially cast on all of them. He'd done so hoping that the sight before him would change. But it hadn't.

Lunafreya finally caught up to him, joining him at the threshold. He turned to see her reaction, and frowned at the picture of regal pity on her face.

"Can you dispel whatever illusion this is?" He asked her.

Lunafreya gained a slightly befuddled look, like she didn't understand his request, or maybe because she didn't understand why he'd need her to do so.

Noctis wanted to throw his hands up in frustration, but that was not a kingly behaviour, and was easily suppressed. Still. Her hesitation to do anything, or to answer him did not help the agitated fury simmering under his skin.

The daemon shifted in its chains, the soft clinks drawing their attention, stirring for the first time at the sound of Noctis' voice.

Noctis clenched his jaw, horrified when the daemon raised its human head, squinted at them through messy long hair, and croaked, "Who…?"

Annoyed at himself for continuing to hesitate, just because of an illusion Noctis spat, "If you think this illusion will save you daemon, you're wrong."

The man shaped creature squinted at Noctis for a moment, until something like recognition dawned on its face, "Oh it's you. Don't care for the beard." The underwhelmed voice irritated Noctis enough that he summoned one of his blades.

The daemon flinched, but the implicit threat didn't stop it from speaking. "Finally find a way to kill me, little brother?" The sneer at the end was half-hearted at best, exhaustion clear in the voice. It made Noctis pause, both at the tone and the words.

But he quickly shook himself, refusing to participate in whatever mind game the daemon was playing.

He turned to Lunafreya, "Well? Can you dispel the illusion? I'm not..." He trailed off at the look on her face. The same regal pity she'd been wearing since she first laid eyes on the daemon, and her confusion at Noctis' behaviour. Her lips were pinched together as she obviously hesitated over what to say.

"This… is real?" He pointed a finger towards the chained monster.

The red haired daemon blinked at Lunafreya, noticing her for the first time. It gave her a perplexed look and asked, "Aera? Why are you with-?"

That seemed to throw Lunafreya a bit, her cold distant look thawing.

"Ah," the daemon closed its eyes and let its head once again rest against the bare chest, "A dream then."

Noctis blinked, unsure how to respond to that strange reaction, and dismissal. So instead he asked, "Lunafreya… did you know about…?" He made a gesture to encompass the man and the room and the chains and the whole situation.

"I'm sorry, Noctis." She shifted her hand along the shaft of her trident, "It is the only way to cleanse our star of the Scourge."

"Adagium is supposed to be a daemon!" He protested indignantly, barely refraining from stomping the end of his cane into the stone. But he was not that childish anymore.

"And you are so sure that it isn't?" She looked significantly at the sacrifice.

Sure, some of the texts had claimed that Adagium could take human form. But Noctis had assumed it was nothing but an illusion, a trick.

Annoyed, Noctis stalked forward until he was less than an arms length from Adagium. Hung in the air as the creature was, Noctis had no trouble peering up into its face, its chin resting against its chest. Its eyes closed once again. A side part of Noctis marvelled at the attention to detail, it had even bothered to give itself stubble.

His annoyance only grew at the fact that Adagium wasn't even paying attention to the one whose duty was to kill it. So with his free hand, Noctis recklessly slapped it in the face.

He phased back a step, half expecting teeth to try and bite his hand off. What happened instead was somehow even worse.

It gasped, looked him in the eye, glanced down at the sword still in Noctis' hand, and then its whole body flinched, attempting to escape. The chains dug into its flesh, keeping it immobile, and it let out a loud cry. It cut the cry off with a ragged gasp, quickly going back to hanging limply. Faint moans now coming from it with every breath.

Noctis' eyes caught on movement where the chains were embedded into the torso. Black blood was running from the open wounds agitated in Adagium's flinch. Noctis wasn't going to risk touching it, but it looked like the same substance that daemons sometimes oozed.

The King looked up into anxious, amber eyes that shone unnaturally in the fire-light. Eyes framed by red bangs that reached past the pale skin of naked shoulders.

"Leave me... please," Adagium gasped, "Somnus."

Noctis took a half step back, eyes wide. By Somnus could it mean... the Founder King? The one who'd sealed the daemon in the first place? It thought Noctis was **him**? Did it... really have no idea how much time had passed?

The King backed up to Lunafreya, Adagium's eyes following him, until they grew unfocused, and its head drooping until it was back to resting on the chest.

"Something's not right here." He whispered to her. Adagium had barely said anything, but what it had was already ringing warning bells within his head. Especially because no one had ever told him that Adagium could so realistically take the form of a man.

"It is as the prophecy foretold Noctis." She softly replied, looking disturbed at the situation, but that was it.

"Remind me then." He demanded through gritted teeth.

She sighed at him. If he was the young man he used to be, he might have hunched his shoulders at the disappointment he could tell she was feeling. But he wasn't the same man who'd stepped into the Crystal ten years ago. Even if it still felt like it at times.

"The True King will lead the people as their beacon of hope and drive away the darkness." She quoted the words of the Draconian, and of the prophecy. "Summoning the power of his forebears, he shall sacrifice the vessel of shadow to usher in the light. And at last relieve **all** of their suffering." She looked pointedly at the hanging man as she emphasized 'all'. As if Noctis needed to have that spelled out to him.

He stared hard at Adagium. He knew those words, yet they took on a vastly different meaning when confronted with the 'vessel of shadow'.

The older versions of the prophecy had claimed he'd have to defeat the vessel, implying a battle would be fought. He'd always read it to mean that there would be a large scale conflict between the power he had accumulated in the Crystal and this 'vessel of shadow'.

But there would be no battle here.

Well... just because he had to follow through on the Gods' prophecy, that didn't mean he had to do it while Adagium was chained up. It sickened him. Had he been hung here specifically with that intention?

With a flick of his arm, he summoned the Armiger. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lunafreya step back, a relieved look on her face. Adagium's head shot up, fear blooming in its eyes as they took in the spectral blue blades.

He wondered if her relief would still be there in a moment.

He waved his arm, and his weapons flashed out. Aimed not for the man who was now cringing, but at the base of the chains that held him in place. The weapons embedded themselves into the stone walls with a crack, the chains disintegrating as the last of the magic holding them together failed.

Adagium fell to the ground with a surprised cry, while behind him Lunafreya gasped in shock.

A part of Noctis expected that, now free, it would transform and attack them. In fact, he fervently wished that it would. Anything was better than the sight of the man weakly lying where he had fallen, face down. He didn't even try to get up. Just moaned softly into the stone.

"Noctis." Lunafreya breathed out a sigh, "What are you doing?"

He spared a quick glance back at her, but otherwise did not respond. He needed answers. Before he completed his God given duty he needed to make sure. Adagium didn't look completely coherent, but hopefully he could still get what he needed from him. And Lunafreya would apparently be no help.

Did Adagium know what the King was here to do?

Noctis cautiously approached the collapsed form. Adagium had managed to weakly push its upper body up onto one elbow, its hair obscuring its face. It looked up when Noctis crouched down before it, using his cane for balance.

The confused look it gave him only lasted a second before it violently flinched away from him. Noctis raised his empty hand to try to show he meant no harm, the daemon scrambling away from him.

"St- Stay away-!" It cried, waving an arm to ward off an attack. As it did, Noctis could see the wounds in its chest were already sealing shut, leaving behind puckered scars. Proving at least some of the tales of Adagium true.

"Adagium." He started, then hesitated.

The King was torn on what to do next. He wanted to demand, no, **command** the creature to answer his questions. But he had a strong feeling that doing so would get him nowhere. Especially not with Adagium so frightened of him.

"Leave. Just leave." Adagium kept pulling itself away from Noctis until it hit the stone wall, and flinched, surprised eyes quickly darting over the room. But as soon as Noctis made a slight movement, the amber eyes flicked back to him.

In fact, his behaviour reminded Noctis of... 'd keep ready if he needed to move quickly but... Well, it was worth a try.

Noctis shifted from his crouched position to sit crossed legged, putting the cane to the side, hands resting loosely on his knees. He angled his body so he wasn't facing Adagium directly. The nonthreatening body language coming naturally and easily to him. A wayward childhood spent caring for every stray cat he came upon had taught him the best techniques to avoid being scratched.

"Adagium, I'm not going to hurt you." He kept his voice soft, soothing. He focused his eyes on the man's chin, in case eye contact would be seen as an act of aggression. Not all humans took eye contact as confrontational, but he didn't want to take the chance.

The creature, the man, the daemon, propped itself against the far wall, watching Noctis wearily. After a moment it softly questioned, confused,"Adagium? What?"

Did it not know its own name? What sort of memory did it posses? Would Noctis be denied his answers?

"It's your name." Noctis tried to remind it. But then another possibility assaulted him, when the man scrunched up his nose, "Isn't it?" The records had so far held a lot of exaggerations and obfuscations, but surely they weren't wrong about this as well?

"Somnus." Adagium's voice cracked, weirdly upset.

There was that name again.

"Brother," It looked confused and hurt, slouching against the wall now. "What are you-?"

It cut itself off and flinched again when Noctis whipped his head up to stare at it head on. Brother? Somnus was the name of its brother? But Noctis had been sure it had been talking about the Founder King earlier. For he was the one who had sealed Adagium here in the first place. From the records, Somnus Lucis Caelum would have been the last human face he'd seen in two thousand years.

A cold dread formed in his gut. He resumed his non-threatening posture and said, "My name is Noctis. What's yours?"

The man took so long to respond, Noctis almost chanced a look at his face. Instead, he watched the scarred hands. A small part of him was still waiting for an attack, and was ready if the frightened daemon decided to do so. But a larger part was cataloguing the nervous movements, the fists clenching and unclenching in the rags around his waist.

"Ardyn." The name was eventually whispered across the empty space between them.

Noctis tilted his head to show his smile through his beard. The man slightly relaxed his hands at the gesture, losing some of the defensive and fearful tension.

"Noctis." Lunafreya broke the fragile rapport Noctis had established in an instant. Her sharp voice was harsh in the small space, "Why do you delay your duty? It may not take the form of a monster, but that is what it is. I assure you."

"Monster...?" Adagium- No. Ardyn frowned down at his hands. "Aera, how could you..."

Noctis wanted to growl in frustration. He regretted asking her to join him here now. She was only going to make this more difficult and awkward. Already he could see Ardyn losing focus, head bobbing, eyes following shapes that Noctis could not see.

"Be silent." He pointed at her, "Or leave."

A part of Noctis couldn't understand how she could be so cold-blooded about all of this. Did she not see the same thing he did? But he knew she must, she just wasn't letting it affect her need to do her duty.

During that long year spent collecting Royal Arms and forming the Covenants with the Gods, he'd resented the fact that his Dad never told him the details of the prophecy when he was a child. Noctis had spent all of his teenage years barely training and goofing off with Prompto. It was only in his twenties that he began to learn what it meant to be King.

His Dad had put off subjecting Noctis to the responsibilities of Kingship for as long as he could. Longer than he probably should have. For a time floating in the Crystal, Noctis had both hated and loved his Father for letting him live in ignorance.

But here. Now. Seeing the different approach and attitude Lunafreya was taking compared to him... He was only grateful. Would knowing about his fate from the beginning have turned him as cold as her? Would it have prevented him from seeing how scared the red-haired man before him truly was? Would he never have hesitated at the sight of him strung up in chains as a sacrifice?

Noctis looked back at Ardyn to see the man's hands were once again making agitated movements. His eyes were flickering all over the prison, not staying still on any one thing. It looked like he was trying to force himself to stay alert, and was in danger of losing focus.

Great. Now he was back to square one. He sighed.

Noctis summoned a blanket from the Armiger. It was black, with the constellations of the stars spread across it. It was the softest thing he had, a comfort from home he'd taken with him on his long journey. He gripped the folded fabric and slowly stretched his hand out to offer it to Ardyn.

The man didn't move from his place against the wall, staring suspiciously and uncomprehendingly at the blanket.

Noctis kept his arm outstretched until it became clear the man wouldn't take it from his hand. So he lowered it to the ground, leaning over to push it even closer to him. It was only when Noctis had backed away and resumed his nonthreatening pose, that the man reached slowly, hesitantly for it.

As soon as Ardyn had a good grip on it, he jerked it towards himself, wary of a trap. Or worried that Noctis would snatch it from his fingers. Noctis tried to keep the image in his head of a tattered stray cat swiping up a treat Noctis had left out for it from his mind. This was a man, or a daemon. Not a cat.

And yet... his strategy appeared to be working.

The red haired man wrapped the blanket around his bare shoulders, running his hands down the soft fabric in wonder.

It was painful to see.

The offering seemed to have done the trick, the man was a bit calmer now. Noctis decided to see if he could get one of his suspicions confirmed.

"Do you still remember my name?" Best not to assume. The man had already called Noctis 'Somnus' and 'brother' a few times. He didn't know if his introduction had stuck.

The man looked at Noctis suspiciously, "Somn-"

Noctis shook his head, and Ardyn cut himself off.

"It's Noctis." The man wrapped the gifted blanket more tightly around his shoulders. "And you're Ardyn... Ardyn, what is your full name?"

Golden eyes looked at him suspiciously, "Why?"

Noctis tried to keep the agitation from his body language. He knew it would be misinterpreted if he did.

A soft, pained sigh came from behind him. The whisper so soft he almost didn't hear it, "Noctis..."

It was that whisper that spurred him on, though he was sure that was not her intention. It made him even more sure he was on the right track.

"Is your name..." It was painful to think. Painful to force past his lips. But he had to. He had to **know**. "Ardyn Lucis Caelum?"

Adagium was a monster, all the texts said. But one scroll, hidden in the depths of the Royal collection, had asserted that Adagium had once had a different name. That he was once a man of Royal Blood.

The man straightened his back at the name, the action reflexive. He frowned at Noctis, for the first time since the King had entered the prison he focused on Noctis with a level of alertness that suggested he wasn't completely out of it. It suggested he might be able to answer Noctis' most burning question.

"Of course it- Why do you even have to ask? What is happening? Is this...not a dream?" He looked around the prison, at the damage done to the stone where Noctis' weapons had destroyed his chains, "Am I... **awake**?"

Given the way the chains had cut into him, Noctis hoped he'd been able to sleep through all of the last two thousand years.

"You've been asleep for..." Noctis hesitated to give him the actual number, then decided to settle for, "A long time."

Ardyn rubbed a free hand over his face, looking like he wasn't sure whether he believed Noctis or not.

"Do you know why I'm here?" Noctis decided to jump right into his main concern, now that his other suspicion had been confirmed.

A small part of him still wasn't sure if he could believe everything he had so far seen and heard from this man. It could all be an elaborate play for his sympathy, so that he'd let his guard down but... a larger part didn't believe that to be true.

"I... No." Golden eyes shone with alertness and intelligence. Noctis had to wonder if the man suspected.

"Then, what did you mean when you asked if your brother had finally found a way to kill you?"

No answer was forthcoming for so long that Noctis worried he'd lost the man again.

"Is that why you're here?" His voice softly carried through the space between them, "To kill me?" The next words burst from him in an old hurt, "Why? For what sins?"

 _Gods... he really has no idea._ Noctis was beginning to feel even more sickened by this whole thing. The more he spoke to the man, the more glad he became that he'd followed his own counsel and hesitated.

"Your Majesty, do not heed its words." Lunafreya stepped farther into the prison. Noctis glanced back at her to see that her trident was now levelled at Ardyn. "You are only prolonging its suffering, and you are allowing it to delay its preordained fate."

Was that how she justified her actions to herself for all these years? She'd convinced herself that the man to be sacrificed was an it? Or that they were freeing him from his suffering?

"Majesty?" Noctis heard Ardyn whisper. He watched through his dark hair as Ardyn used the wall to lever himself into a standing position, one hand gripping the blanket to keep it tight over his shoulders.

"Aera, why are you helping him?" Noctis clenched his jaw, watching as the man's eyes again started to follow something that wasn't in the room. Lost in his head.

"You need to leave." He turned his head and stonily spoke to the Queen. He raised a hand, and a crystalline wall formed between them, forcing her back. He was tired of her interference. He never should have asked her to join him in the first place.

He heard Ardyn gasp behind him, but didn't look back until the wall was finished forming. It was a dangerous thing to do, taking his eyes off of Ardyn, but shields were not his strength and took his full concentration. When he relaxed his arm back onto his knee and turned to Ardyn, it was his own turn to gasp.

Any further doubt he'd harboured in his mind crumbled under the sight of the long red sword Ardyn had summoned to his hand. The man had an Armiger. Only those of royal blood had such abilities. He truly was a Lucis Caelum.

" Somnus, why would you-?" The armed man's voice lowered in anger. "No, who are you?"

Though Noctis should probably be worried that the 'vessel of shadow' was angry and armed, instead he just wanted to throw his hands up in frustration. Once again, she'd made the man scared and defensive. In the back of his mind he pictured a cat, his hackles up, claws out, and hissing.

Noctis refrained from moving from his seated position, even though his instincts were screaming at him to summon a weapon and defend himself. But he knew any movement from him would make the man lash out. The last thing he wanted right now was a fight, even if for most of his time in Adagium's prison he'd hoped for this very thing to justify killing the sacrifice.

"Noctis Lucis Caelum. The King of Lucis." He kept it simple.

Ardyn's eyes darted over him, taking in his expensive raiment, which probably contrasted with his messy long hair and trimmed beard. Eventually, confusion took over the anger and fear on his face and he asked "Why would a King... debase himself like this?" He hadn't lowered his weapon yet, but he was calming down. Good.

Noctis cocked his head. He supposed his actions could be seen that way. The royal council had always bemoaned his lack of decorum and nobility. Apparently a King was supposed to always stand above others. And with his family chosen by the Gods to safeguard the Crystal, some refused to even consider that Noctis was completely mortal. Not like them at least.

Meeting Prompto, and his frank way of speaking to Noct, had opened his eyes to the worshipful level some people took it. It had taken many years for Noctis to get rid of the few ingrained beliefs his friend had picked up. Thankfully Prompto had a habit of forgetting that his best friend Noct was also of the holy line of Kings.

Noct's inability to let a stray cat go hungry, and the lengths he would go to earn their friendship, had apparently been what first opened Prompto's eyes to the fact that Noct was human like him. And also shown Prompto how lonely he was in that period of his life. The little stalker.

"Well..." How to explain that, when calming a defensive stray, Noctis considered no action below his dignity. The man wasn't a cat, of course. But the technique worked. "I'm not like other Kings." He settled on the understatement of the millennia. "Can we just, talk?"

Ardyn tightened the hand holding the blanket, pulling it tighter around his shoulders,"You're here to kill me. And you want to talk?"

"Mmm," Noctis hummed his agreement. When the man still stood frozen against the wall Noctis threw in, "Please?"

Uncertainty bloomed over Ardyn's face at that word. Noctis wanted to give himself a pat on the back. It looked like, by not conforming to any of the man's expectations of Kingly behaviour, he was getting through to him. If Noctis really did look like his brother, then it probably also meant that Noctis was behaving nothing at all like the Founder King.

And given that Noctis had met the spirit of the man within the Ring of the Lucii, he was not surprised.

Golden eyes roamed the prison once more. The man shook his head and brought a hand up to his forehead, grimacing. The blanket slipped from his shoulders, falling to his feet. Noctis tensed, just in case. But then Ardyn's legs faltered, and he slumped to one knee.

"Are you alright?" It wasn't the first time the man appeared to lose focus on what was happening around him. Noctis had to assume that, after being caged and asleep for so long, he kept forgetting what was real, and what was a figment of his mind. That he was as lucid as he'd been since they'd started to talk, was frankly amazing.

Ardyn collapsed into a seated position once more, eyes flying to Noctis, shocked, like he'd forgotten Noctis was there.

"Do you know who I am?" Noctis slowly asked, worried he'd have to start over from the beginning.

"Som-" Adryn began, but cut himself off before Noctis could, shaking his head. "No. Noctis."

"That's right." Noctis gave him a relieved smile, which the man hesitantly returned. He had kind eyes, Noctis distantly noted.

The red long sword was finally dismissed back into his armiger, red crystalline sparks filling the air, different from the usual royal blue. Ardyn picked up the blanket to return it to its place around his otherwise naked shoulders.

Having regained the man's focus, Noctis decided to return to their earlier topic before he lost the man again. He was curious to ask why he kept calling Lunafreya by the name Aera, but seeing as it had so far always led to him zoning out, he decided to stick with what was important.

"Now, you said you don't know why I'm here. Correct?"

Ardyn nodded, but one of his hands formed a loose fist, room for the pommel of a sword to appear in an instant.

"Do you know about the prophecy?"

Golden eyes narrowed suspiciously at him, but the man shook his head.

"According to the Draconian," He quoted, "In a time of Eternal Night, the True King will lead the people as their beacon of hope and drive away the darkness. Summoning the power of his forebears, he shall sacrifice the vessel of shadow to usher in the light. And at last relieve all of their suffering."

The suspicion never left the man's face as he slowly asked, "...And what does that have to do with me?"

Noctis let out a sigh, ruffling his long bangs. There was no good way to put this. Especially if the man had no idea. But Noctis could tell he had a suspicion now, going by the look on his face.

"I was named the King of Kings, the True King, by the Gods when I was young." Ardyn flinched at the words, horror forming in his eyes.

"No." He whispered.

Noctis continued resolutely. He wouldn't kill the man, sacrifice him, without him understanding why. Perhaps the Oracle had the right idea that leaving him in ignorance was better. Was kinder. But... after being lied to for so long by people he trusted, Noctis disagreed.

"The sun hasn't risen in five years. Daemon's are everywhere. People are dying." He tried to soften the blow.

"No." Ardyn's wide eyes were locked onto his, the word torn from his throat.

"The Gods named you the Vessel of Shadow."

The man stared at Noctis in horror for so long, it started to unnerve him, but he met the wide golden eyes resolutely. He couldn't shy away from the truth.

"No. That can't- But-" Ardyn shook his head in denial, "I did as the gods bid." He pleaded. "I only did as they-" Golden eyes slid to something behind Noctis, where the outline of Lunafreya could just barely be seen beyond his crystal wall." Aera," He reached for her, "you said if I-"

"I was led here to complete a ritual-" Noctis cut in, trying to explain, but Ardyn was no longer listening, having fallen back into his own mind.

Ardyn's outstretched hand flinched back, and he bent his knees, curling into a ball, hands in his hair, whispering to himself, the black blanket sagging on his shoulders.

Noctis could only make out soft denials, as he spoke to someone unseen. He grimaced, not sure what to do now, or how to get the man to listen without putting himself in danger.

Ardyn flinched at something, and raised his head to ask Lunafreya's outline, "Is that why the Crystal rejected me?"

_What? How is that possible?_

No one had ever said anything about the Crystal rejecting someone before Somnus became King. Noctis frowned and now wished he'd asked for details on how the man had ended up imprisoned, instead of jumping right into figuring out if the man knew he was to be sacrificed. The person he kept mentioning, and it must be a person, Aera, was obviously someone important to him. Enough that he kept speaking to her as if she was there, even though Noctis had forced Lunafreya from the room and mostly hidden her from view.

A broken cry tore from the man's throat and he begged, "Aera, did you know?"

Yes, he definitely had made a mistake in his single-mindedness.

"The Gods never intended for me to heal people?" The man shook his head violently, a growl started to form at the back of his throat."They only wanted to turn me into... a sacrifice!?"

Before Noctis could fully process the implications of 'heal people,' an inhuman noise tore from Ardyn's throat, echoing oddly in the small stone room. Ardyn staggered to his feet, blanket pooling around his bare feet. The large sword appeared in his hand with a shatter of red crystal, and he slashed at an unseen enemy. "What about you, 'dear brother'? Did you know?!" Noctis was forced to his feet, and backed up to the crystal wall he'd erected at the prison exit.

Ardyn's eyes locked onto Noctis' movements, he growled, "Somnus." And attacked.

"Ardyn, I'm not- I don't-" He cut himself off, forced to phase away from the attack, bringing up a sword to deflect the larger man's wide swings. He'd almost said 'I don't want to hurt you' or something to that effect. But he'd be sacrificing the man at some point soon. So that wasn't at all true, and the man would know it, even if he thought it was Somnus he was fighting.

"Answer me! Did you plan this together?!"

The small room made swinging the large sword awkward, and gave Noctis room to dodged around what he could, circling Ardyn, and blocking the ones he couldn't. Never going on the offensive, no matter what openings the other man left. The spirits of the Kings within him stirred, responding to the threat, causing the spectral wounds their swords had left to ache.

"I'm not your brother." He tried to reach the man.

"What?" Ardyn snarled, "Can't stomach having a 'monster' for an older brother?"

Noctis warped away, barely dodging a swing that cut a stone block clean through, when the pain in his back flared sharply, the motion pulling at the wounds. He stumbled.

The King grimaced. Shit. If Ardyn didn't calm down, he'd have no choice. Which was ironic, as he'd been hoping that Ardyn would attack him from the moment he'd first realized he'd have to kill something that looked like a man. If he'd attacked Noctis like this when he'd first freed him from his chains, the prophecy would have been fulfilled already, the ritual complete. His friends would no longer be waiting outside, wondering what had happened.

Now that the excuse to fight and kill Ardyn had been given to him, Noctis couldn't bring himself to follow through. Not like this. He'd finally gotten the fight he'd wanted, but it wasn't for the right reasons. It didn't help that his attention was split, as he forced the rising agitation of the Kings' souls down, not willing to use them yet.

Black tears began to run down his opponent's face, shining in the warm light of the braziers. The whites of his eyes bled black, giving his golden iris an ethereal glow.

The King observed this with growing unease. Though he still hesitated, his hand might soon be forced. If Ardyn got any stronger, he wouldn't be able to both dodge and hold back the power of Kings at the same time.

Even his blood was turning black, the veins creeping up his neck and down his forehead. He clearly was the daemonic monster the texts had named Adagium. There was no doubt there. The more daemonic he turned, the more tempted Noctis was to begin the ritual.

But he still hesitated. For while the texts had been proven correct on some fronts, they were also completely wrong on others. He was also Ardyn Lucis Caelum, elder brother to the Founder King, and... healer of the Scourge?

Noctis summoned the Shield of the Just to better weather Ardyn's attacks, hoping he could wear him down. However, as soon as he braced himself Ardyn stopped, panting. Noctis lowered the shield to see Ardyn staring at his reflection in the shining surface, horrified.

"The Scourge?" The man whispered, the tip of his sword drooping, touching a fingertip to the edge of a blackened eye.

"No!" He fell to his knees, his sword shattering back into the Armiger.

The black veins retreated, his eyes regaining their more human appearance. All that remained were the black tear tracks trailing from the corner of his eyes. He gasped wetly, looking up at Noctis, his sudden despair disturbing, "I am a... monster."

He collapsed the rest of the way back in a heap, unconscious.


	3. The King of Kings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arg! Why can't I keep this to the length I planned! This fic will now be 4 chapters long, to give me time to edit the last chapter. Though it will be shorter than all the others (at least it is so far) and more like an epilogue.

Ardyn sat beneath his favourite tree, back propped up against the soft wood, and watched Somnus and Aera whisper together at the edge of the golden grassy field. He made no move to join them, or to tear Aera away from her killer. Instead he just sat there. Watching the people that orchestrated his downfall.

He still didn't want to believe it.

How could Aera, the one who'd promised to always support him, possibly be involved in such a plot?

But... he'd seen his reflection within that shining shield. It could have all been an elaborate nightmare his mind had made up to torture him but... it had held none of the usual themes. No. It was far worse than anything his mind could have conjured.

Aera turned her head towards him, blond hair brushing the side of her face, to smile that dazzling smile of hers. For the first time since he'd started seeing her here, he felt no desire to return it. He just watched her, unblinking, face slack.

She made a disappointed face, and started to walk towards him. But Somnus stopped her, grabbing her harshly by the arm.

The gods must have told her what was to become of him, and then she must have told Somnus. Was that why his little brother had turned so thoroughly against him? They must have known for years, been plotting for years, if that was the case. It made sense. And was all the more disturbing for it. How could he have been so blind?

Somnus had been spreading rumours about Ardyn, trying to turn the other Houses against him for quite a while, as Ardyn had travelled the countryside. Meanwhile, Aera met with Ardyn regularly, sometimes in secret, always encouraging him to complete his calling as the Gods' had bid. He'd pushed himself to take in more and more of the Scourge, sure that he would be recognized for his devotion to the gods.

Until he truly was the monster Somnus had made him out to be.

Had her death been part of their conspiracy? Had it been fake, like so much else in his life?

Ardyn closed his golden eyes. He was tired. So very, very tired.

Why was he even still alive? Surely that man, the King who looked like an older Somnus, should have killed him by now. Ardyn distinctly remembered attacking him in a rage, thinking he was Somnus, being unable to land a hit on him, and then collapsing.

Unless that too had been a dream.

He didn't know which he preferred to be true. That someone had come to free him from his prison, only to tell him that he had only done so to kill him at the command of the gods, or that it had all been an elaborate hallucination.

Something pricked at the edge of his senses. He pushed it away, determined to ignore it. He just wanted to rest. That hallucination had been too painful, too exhausting.

If given the choice, he'd rather spend his final moments here, not in that cold stone prison. Better to die peacefully in the place of his choosing, than be awake and aware during the ritual sacrifice that was surely being done. That the gods had ordained was his fate.

Ardyn closed his eyes and leaned his head against the trunk, blocking out the sight of Aera reaching for him. Waiting for oblivion.

As he waited, he wondered, why hadn't the King killed him immediately? The Gods had given him a purpose, and he'd chosen to delay it. It didn't make any sense. But now, after being attacked by the monster Ardyn now was, surely the King would fulfill his duty.

A slight pain assaulted his temples, making him scrunch nose at the discomfort intruding on his peace. He cracked one eye open to see the light of the golden grassy field grow dim, the figures of Aera and Somnus fading into wisps of smoke.

He'd tried to choose the setting of his death, and been denied. Of course. Why had he bothered to hope for anything different?

* * *

Noctis sat on a new blanket he'd summoned from the Armiger, legs crossed, elbows on knees, and rested his chin on clasped hands. He stared hard at the collapsed daemon, who Noctis had covered in the black blanket he'd given him earlier, dropped during the fight.

Any doubt he'd begun to harbour about how dangerous this man could become had been thoroughly dashed. That rage that had taken him over, coupled with the black ichor oozing from his eyes, had proven that though he looked like a man, he was truly a daemon.

There was no doubt that he needed to complete his duty.

Not to mention, his back still throbbed with the aftermath of the demands of the Lucii.

He could do it right now even. The man, daemon, or whatever he was, was completely helpless. But then, Noctis had had multiple opportunities to complete the prophecy since he'd entered Adagium's prison, and had yet to take a single one.

His questions had been answered. Wasn't waiting just dragging out the suffering of not only his own people, but Adagium's as well?

Except the man's name was Ardyn Lucis Caelum. Someone who could have been king. And not only had he been sealed away for two thousand years, he'd also had no idea **why**.

And he'd called himself a healer.

Noctis couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was not right about the prophecy. That part of this feeling had come about due to a youth spent befriending any stray cat he came upon, he would keep to himself.

He needed to stop mentally making the comparison, he knew, but it was hard not to see the parallels. He'd managed to save many a stray from being 'destroyed' by showing that all they needed was to be shown some kindness. Just because they tried to scratch and bite, did not mean that they were rabid.

Anyway, he wanted to talk to Ardyn one last time. He had an idea, but wasn't sure if he should follow through on it. The Lucii had reluctantly agreed that it might work, though the Founder King hadn't been happy with Noctis' suggestion.

_"You made him out to be a monster. He's nothing like one."_

_"You see the sickness within him with your own eyes," His ancestor sneered, "And claim he is not?"_

_"I see just that, someone who is sick."_

_"He is a daemon. We are charged with their eradication. What you are asking cannot be done."_

_"It could." One of the other spirits spoke out, the voice painfully familiar. "We have tread the same path for two thousand years. What harm will there be in trying?"_

_"_ _A sinner such as him will never submit_ _." Somnus Lucis Caelum intoned._

_"He is your elder brother, is he not?" Noctis asked. "I don't know what passed between you, but surely you must desire for him to find peace."_

_"Sacrifices must be made, a fact he_ _never understood_ _." Was Noctis imagining things, or was that regret he heard through the distorted voice? But then it hardened, reminiscent of Lunafreya's, "Eradication is the only path towards peace. As it has always been so."_

_"A king cannot lead by standing still." His Father quietly said, spectral form standing at his side in support, while the rest of them encircled them, implicitly refuting Somnus' claim._

_"He must always push forward and accept the consequences." Noctis finished with a small smile, grateful for his Father's trust in him. "I am the King of Kings. And I will pay the price."_

_"... So be it." The old King begrudgingly conceded._

So he now had two options before him. One guaranteed to succeed by the Gods. The other reluctantly conceded by the thirteen chosen Lucian Kings and Queens, with a potential for failure.

Before he made a decision either way, there was one thing he hoped to receive, and that was Ardyn's consent. He wished he could give the man time to come to terms with his fate, as the gods had granted to Noctis, but they did not have the time.

Why didn't the Gods tell the man, as Noctis had been told, of his fate? Unfortunately, that was a question Noctis would have to accept he'd never know the answer to.

Ardyn continued to show no sign of waking. Last time Noctis had slapped him awake, but he had no desire to do so again. He needed to start them on a calm note. Though there was no guarantee that what woke would be the man he'd been slowly coaxing into relaxing, and the daemon who'd attacked him.

Not wanting to wait any longer, for he had no idea how long the man would sleep for, Noctis shuffled over and reached out, putting his hand on the man's temple, intending to shake him awake, ready to warp away if necessary. However, as soon as the ring touched the clammy skin, it lit up the room.

Noctis jerked his hand back in shock, instinctively warping back to his blanket.

Golden eyes opened with a gasp, and Noctis waited, tense, ready to defend himself.

Ardyn lay there for a long moment, his breaths short and quick, eyes darting around the stone prison. They slid right over Noctis' frozen form, more interested in the lit braziers along the far wall and the gouges in the stone where the chains used to hang him from.

Noctis dared to hope that he'd have a chance to speak to the man once more, instead of being forced to put the daemon out of its misery, like Somnus had assumed.

Ardyn's deep voice whispered, "I'm... still alive?"

Noctis pressed his lips together, hopeful but not wanting to speak and startle the man just yet, given the strong reactions the man had to him in the past.

The red head slowly levered himself up, low ponytail sliding to rest in the centre of his back. The black blanket slid down his chest, revealing the puckered scars where the chains used to pierce him. Amber eyes blinked at it for a moment, head cocking to the side.

Noctis forced himself not to hold his breath, nerves tight and ready to react as necessary.

Ardyn's eyes widened and he jolted the rest of the way up, zeroing in Noctis.

"Why?" He demanded, almost sounding frustrated. Noctis allowed himself to relax slightly, that was not at all the reaction he'd been expecting.

"You... remember who I am?" He cautiously asked. Based on the question, and tone, he hoped that Ardyn did.

The man's lips turned down, eyes briefly flickering to where Lunafreya once stood on the other side of the crystalline wall. Thankfully, she'd left at some point while Noctis had consulted with the Lucii.

" **Brother** -" Ardyn growled, voice edging into the deep octave it had gained when he transformed, hands clenching in the fabric of the blanket.

Noctis grimaced. Damn it all. Before he could correct the man, desperate to avoid a fight, Ardyn beat Noctis to it.

"No," Long bangs swayed as he shook his head, "Somnus never hesitated to-" His throat bobbed and he turned his face away.

The King had to wonder what he'd stopped himself from saying. But was beginning to get a picture of it, based on Somnus' own assertions about his brother and the daemons. There was clearly bad blood between them. But was one in the wrong? Or was neither?

"Somnus' descendant." Ardyn said, much to Noctis' relief, finally relaxing his hands, stroking the fabric of the soft blanket.

Noctis nodded, settling more comfortably, reminding him, "Noctis."

He took a deep breath, intent on avoiding topics that could lead to a fight, but not sure how to do so, and blurted,"So, I've spoken to the Lucii." He winced, that was poorly done, but it was too late now. So instead he waited for a reaction, eyes searching Ardyn's face. The word was apparently unfamiliar to him though, given his lack of reaction.

"The what?" Ardyn asked, voice tired, clearly confused by Noctis' sudden statement.

"You don't know?"

Ardyn frowned and gave him a clearly exasperated look. Perhaps at the reminder that almost all of what Noctis had told him so far he hadn't known. Yeah, he should have anticipated that. But he didn't let the momentary embarrassment slow him, as he used to in his youth.

"They are the spirits of my ancestors. Housed within this ring." He held up his hand, the light of the fires catching on the metal.

Ardyn looked dubiously at the small piece of jewelry. "I've... never heard of such a thing before. Not even Solheim had artifacts of such power." He looked interested despite himself, but then went back to frowning, looking at Noctis narrowly, suspicious.

"I can speak to them," Noctis explained, "And they to me, given a bit of effort."

Ardyn grimaced, perhaps guessing what Noctis was trying to carefully dodge around.

"Let me guess," He waved an arm in a half-hearted gesture, sounding almost flippant."Somnus demands my execution."

Noctis raised his eyebrows, surprised at the attempt to hide how bitter the statement obviously made him. Ardyn was speaking with more awareness and energy than he'd had before he'd collapsed. His mind appeared much sharper. Had the weird reaction to the ring done something to him? Woken him up more?

Noctis eyed Ardyn's hand as it rejoined the other on his lap, both subtly stroking the fabric now. Perhaps he was using it to ground himself?

"I won't do anything without your consent." Noctis began.

"Ha," Ardyn scoffed, instantly bristling, hackles up. "And what will you do if I don't give it to you?" He raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Noctis, "Let me leave this place?"

"...No." Noctis conceded, hesitating to explain his alternate option. Despite his words to the other Kings, he wasn't completely sure he should offer it to the other man. He was making a judgment call about him after only having exchanged a few words with him. And against the advice of his ancestor, who surely knew him well enough to judge.

"So you'd rather I be a willing sacrifice? As if that's any better." He looked away from Noctis, this time not hiding how bitter he felt.

Noctis wanted to say something to refute what Ardyn had said, but could come up with nothing. It was true after all. So he was struck silent, not sure how to continue. He wanted to ask for more details of what transpired between the two brothers. Or at least get a sense of Ardyn's perspective. But again, he didn't want to start a fight. For if one started again, he knew the Lucii would demand he finally fulfill the prophecy. They'd consider themselves proven correct, and Noctis wasn't sure he'd have the will to resist them again.

Ardyn sighed, held both of his hands in front of him, palm up, and summoned his long red sword. Noctis tensed, summoning a sword of his own, but paused in jerking to his feet when the man did nothing but stare down at his blade, resting it in both hands.

Noctis slowly lowered himself back into a seated position, weary of the man turning into his daemonic form and attacking. But nothing of the sort happened. Ardyn just stared at it.

Something about the red sword caught his eye. Now that he wasn't so distracted trying to dodge the large blade, he realized there was something about it he recognized. Dismissing his favoured Engine blade to his Armiger, he summoned the Blade of the Mystic, and sucked in a shocked breath.

The swords were practically identical. Their only differences lay in the deep blue and red edges of the blades, and that the flourishes on the handles mirrored each other.

Ardyn glanced over at him, eyes fixated on the blade in Noctis' hand, then huffed at the questioning look on Noctis' face.

"They were forged together when we were young. With the hope that the two of us would rule together. Instead..." He sighed, and hung his head, but not before Noctis got a glimpse of the deep pain in his eyes.

The dark haired King decided to leave the other man to his thoughts, giving him space. He could break the silence and explain his alternate idea to him, with the caveat that it was a long shot, but Somnus' doubt continued to still his tongue.

The younger brother did not have a very high opinion of the elder. And though the tales that had been passed down through the centuries stated that Adagium was a master trickster, Noctis did not believe that anything so far had been a trick. Ardyn had been too disoriented, barely able to focus on Noctis, when he'd awoken. Not to mention, the kind of fear he'd shown for who he thought was his brother, was not easily faked.

And now he was incredibly subdued and bitter. But also, incredibly sad.

Noctis searched his mind for a distraction, and a topic that would give him more insight into the man he was contemplating saving. Ardyn seemed pretty lucid, perhaps he **could** risk asking him about the other name the man had kept mentioning in his delirium.

Before he could formulate a way to broach what was likely a sensitive topic, Ardyn's sword disintegrated into the red crystalline sparks that signified his Armiger. He then clasped his hands together and bowed his head in prayer.

Noctis' eyebrows shot up, was he praying to the Gods? His lips were moving, but Noctis could not make out what he was saying.

He hadn't been around someone praying like that in a long time, and after meeting the Gods himself, he doubted they could even hear the man's prayers. Knowing that the Gods were the ones to ordain his fate, Noctis was surprised he would still pray to them.

Taking his cue from the other man, Noctis finally dismissed his own sword.

Amber eyes flickered briefly to meet Noctis' at the noise, then he broke the silence, "If it is what the gods will... I- I will-" He choked on the words, hunching into himself. "I will do as the gods have ordained."

Noctis blinked multiple times. Shocked. It was that easy? The man bowed to the prophecy just like that?

Why had Somnus been so sure that he wouldn't? Had he convinced himself of the tales he'd written and passed down? Or maybe it was a way to justify to himself what he'd done? Noctis would never know.

He opened his mouth. Then closed it, at a loss of what to say.

"There... might be another way." He hesitated, uncertain if he should even offer the option to the man, if he was willing to go through with the prophecy.

"What?" Ardyn looked up at him through his long bangs, "What do you-?" Noctis winced at the bewildered, hurt look on his face, "No." Ardyn's face twisted into what could only be described as self-loathing,"I saw what I turned into. I'm a monster." He lowered his hands to rest on the blanket draped across his legs, head down and back bowed.

The man was sharp when he wasn't disoriented, scared, and angry. He'd taken Noctis' ambiguous statement and extrapolated what he meant very quickly.

"Even if you are..." He wouldn't go so far as to call Ardyn a monster, even with the way he'd appeared when he attacked. Sure, many would call all daemons monsters, and Somnus was apparently one of them. But Noctis had seen the monstrous things people could do to each other. Even if a monster was 'what' Ardyn was, that didn't make it 'who' he was. His choices already reflected that.

"What this?" Ardyn picked up on his hesitation to agree with the moniker, incredulous, he let out a disbelieving laugh, "You doubt your own eyes? Even Somnus-"

"He has no say in my decision." Noctis firmly stated, silencing the other man."Anyway, there's more to the prophecy than what I said earlier."

Ardyn cringed, no doubt assuming it was something negative to do with him. "What more could they possibly demand of me?" He asked, resigned, fists clenched in the fabric of the blanket.

Noctis shook his head, "Not you. Of **Me**."

Amber eyes glanced up at him, his back straightening up a bit.

"I was told by Bahamut that as the King of Kings, I would be given the power to banish the darkness, but at a price. My life." He quoted the Draconian, trying to keep his feelings on the matter from his voice. " _Many sacrificed all for the King, so must the King sacrifice himself for all._ "

Ardyn came out of his protective huddle completely, until he was looking at Noctis straight on."You're saying, we both die here?"

Noctis nodded, "That's what I thought, when I first opened the door." He gestured back to the entrance of the prison.

"But no longer?" Ardyn quickly caught his implication. His easy understanding, while at first a bit intimidating, was a welcome surprise. Noctis was used to having to explain himself in more detail to everyone but Ignis. "Because I give you my... blessing?" Ardyn's lips twisted bitterly.

Noctis leaned forward, warming up to this alternate option, and to Ardyn himself, now that he'd been able to maintain focus for so long, "No. Well, partially. I was granted _'a power greater than that of the Six_.'"

"How is that possible- The gods would allow-" Ardyn looked overwhelmed at the concept, and if Noctis had ever allowed himself to think on it at length he probably would have been too. It had always been easier not to think about it.

"To wipe the Scourge off of Eos, they created a vessel of light," He raised a hand to his chest, "To cleanse a vessel of shadow." He gestured towards Ardyn, who twitched."The Gods implied we'd have to fight. But with you helping, then I have power to spare."

Ardyn was already shaking his head in denial, but Noctis kept going. "So I have a better idea. That's why I talked to the Lucii."

"No." Ardyn bit out, surprisingly forceful, shocking Noctis into stopping his explanation.

"No?" Noctis questioned.

"Spare me this- this fantasy of false hope." A small sneer split his face,"Not even Somnus would be so cruel."

Noctis winced, but pushed through, Ardyn's reluctance to hear him through, his fatalism, spurring the King even farther onto his chosen path.

"I think I can heal you, or at least restore you to what you were."

Ardyn closed his eyes, turning his head away, dismissing him, obviously pained at the words. "He would never agree to healing a monster. A daemon."

Why was he being so stubborn suddenly!? Noctis wanted to throw his hands up in frustration. First he'd been awed that the man had accepted his fate so easily, now he wanted to shake that acceptance right out of him!

"It's my **choice**!" Noctis snapped, raising his voice for the first time. Ardyn flinched, wide eyes looking at him through long red bangs. "It's my choice." Noctis said, more measured, bringing himself back under control. "It's my life that I'm giving. All I'm asking is if you'd like a chance to live."

Ardyn hesitated, clearly unable to believe what Noctis was offering him, "Why would you-" Ardyn shook his head, "You know nothing of me, of what I've done. I'm a monster that deserves to-"

"No one." Noctis interrupted, not quite able to contain the viciousness in his voice, "No one, no matter what they've done, deserves- deserves-" Noctis struggled to articulate the outrage he'd felt when he'd first seen Ardyn, " **That**!" He pointed to the place Ardyn had once hung from.

The man looked away from Noctis again, hiding his face. Noctis took a deep breath, getting his roiling emotions under control. He couldn't afford to be too emotional, though his concern that it would set the imprisoned man off had yet to happen. Perhaps the man had really stabilized from his earlier delirium?

"What does it matter?" The man sighed, "There's nothing left for me out there." He angled his head towards the blocked prison entrance.

"Then find something." Noctis argued, letting him change the subject, interpreting it as a concession. He tried to keep how upset he was starting to feel from his voice, upset that Ardyn so easily dismissed what Noctis was offering, what he himself desired. "You'll be free of the Gods' prophecy. Free to make your own fate."

"Such a life..." Ardyn hesitated, his resigned fatalism finally cracking, "I cannot even imagine it."

Noctis scooted closer. He offered his two hands, palm up. Ardyn didn't move, his eyes flickering between Noctis' hands and his face.

"I have friends waiting for me out there. All their hopes, their dreams for the future, they've entrusted to me. They'll help you, I promise."

Ardyn's composure broke, he sucked in a shaking breath, head shaking in denial still of what Noctis was offering him.

"Please." Noctis softly entreated, "Trust in me."

Amber eyes locked onto his blue ones, still hesitating. Noctis kept his hands out, meeting the devastation in Ardyn's eyes with his own fierce determination.

"Ha." The man choked on a laugh, shaking his head not in denial, but something else. "I don't know why I kept seeing my brother in you. You're not at all alike."

Noctis wasn't sure how to take that, but decided on a complement. Hope swelled in his chest, was he going to...?

Ardyn slowly raised his hands from the blanket, until they were hovering, hesitating over Noctis' own. Noctis was close enough he could hear the man take a deep breath, and then bring his hands down, gripping Noctis' tightly. As soon as they touched, Ardyn gasped. Noctis wasn't sure why at first, until he heard the man whisper to himself, "This is real."

Still? He was shocked, the man had been so lucid since he'd woken up. Noctis never would have guessed he still wasn't sure of his reality. Had he been assuming Noctis was a figment of his mind the whole time? Well, it didn't matter any longer, he was committed now.

The ring on Noctis' hand began to glow with a brilliant light. Ardyn tried to flinch the hand touching the ring away, but Noctis' grip held him firm.

The King hunched forward, pain blossoming over his back, until his head almost touched Ardyn's bare chest. The stabbing pain took over his senses, all along the hunched expanse. It felt like he was being stabbed, but in reverse. Thirteen times.

A scream was torn from his throat, the agony overwhelming. Then, in an instant, it was over, the blades breaking free, coming to rest around them in a circle.

They held position for a moment, armoured forms materializing around the blades, long enough that Noctis, hunched over and panting, almost thought they wouldn't fulfill his demand and would carry out their original purpose. Destruction.

"Is this truly your decision?" One of the armoured forms asked, voice identifying him as the Mystic.

A soft snort had Noctis looking up, the sound out of place for what they were doing, "That's Somnus?" Ardyn clearly recognized the voice of his brother, even with the odd quality the armour gave his voice, "You look ridiculous." He pronounced.

An exhausted laugh burst out of Noctis.

"Yeah. I'm sure." He replied to his ancestors.

"Let it be done, as decreed by the King of Kings." Noctis' father spoke up, supporting Noctis, as he always had.

Blood was starting to pool beneath the King, running down the back of his black shirt, soaking through his pants, the wounds on his back leaking steadily from where the spectral forms of his ancestors had burst forth.

The Kings of Yore all stepped forward in turns, with the youngest of them leading the charge. One by one, their forms sank into Ardyn. With each one he grunted in pain. With each one a daemonic cry escaped his mouth. The whites of his eyes bled black, the golden iris glowing daemonically. Hands dug into Noctis' like claws, as the man clearly struggled to remain in place and allow the Lucii to cleanse him.

Until only Somnus remained.

Ardyn was panting now, head bowed, black sweat slowly evaporating off of him. Noctis was leaning heavily on the larger man for support, who in turn was now leaning heavily on Noctis, their hands still intertwined.

The armour around Somnus faded away, leaving a man who looked remarkably like Noctis, if he was clean-shaven.

"Brother..." The spirit sighed, "I should have known you'd try to martyr yourself. You haven't changed at all." Noctis felt Ardyn stir above him, turning his head to face his younger brother. "I thought my brother dead, with a monster walking in his place." Noctis glanced over to see the spirit was on one knee, head bowed to Ardyn. "What I did was unforgivable. But I had no choice. I'm sorry." He apologized, a surprising amount of regret in his tone, "I dare not ask your forgiveness, but I do ask your understanding."

"You still think you were in the right...?" Ardyn gasped, breath ruffling Noctis' hair. "Ha." He scoffed, voice gaining a bitter edge, "Of course. You haven't changed either." Somnus looked up, young face resigned, "But," Ardyn sighed, "If you truly do wish for me to understand, then I guess I'll have to live."

The edge of Somnus' lips twitched, then he stood, Lucii armour replacing his human form.

The Mystic stepped forward, and without further hesitation sunk into Ardyn's body, joining the others battling the daemons within Ardyn's soul. This time, his daemonic scream did not end. It just went on and on. Noctis wanted to cover his ears, but he couldn't remove his hands from Ardyn's crushing grip.

All he could do was pant through the pain, his body growing steadily numb.

The ring shone with the brightness of the sun, surely blinding even those waiting outside the prison.

The daemonic screaming stopped. Trailing off into an all too human wail. Then silence.

With half lidded eyes, he watched the Ring of the Lucii disintegrate.

Noctis could no longer stay conscious, his connection to his ancestors broken, their spirits at last at rest in the beyond.

He collapsed in a pool of blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The happy ending tag is not an accident, I promise! Though I did originally plan on ending it here on an ambiguous note to keep it more true to the game ending. I couldn't bring myself to do it :p


	4. Dawn

Ardyn’s panting filled the silence, his ears still ringing with the screams that had filled the stone prison. His throat ached like someone had scraped it raw. 

Right. Those had been his screams.

He was still on his knees on the hard stone, only the ragged ends of what remained of his trousers softening its bite. His back was bowed, his forearms resting on his thighs. A warm body touched the tips of his knees. His mind registered the warmth as a strange feeling, one he hadn't experienced in a long time.

Ardyn twitched his hands, contemplating sitting up, and realized that there were hands still clasped within his own. He slackened his grip, fingers stiff from clenching them so hard through the pain. With nothing to hold them in place, they slid off his legs, falling to either side of his thighs.

Groaning, his back protesting the motion after all of his muscles had been seizing for what felt like eternity, Ardyn sat up. Sprawled on his side, the man those spirits had called the _King of Kings,_ lay collapsed before him. 

Noctis Lucis Caelum, Somnus' descendant.

"I'm... alive?" He asked, filling the eerie quiet, his voice a hoarse croak. "Did it work?" He brought his hands up before his eyes, examining them. But he could discern no difference. How would he be able to tell if the ritual had worked?

He shivered, the memory of those Kings entering his body assaulting his senses. Wait. Shivered? He was cold. He hadn't felt this sort of cold in... he couldn't remember. Did that mean he was free? 

Now that he thought about it more, he did get the faint sense that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. A weight he hadn't even realized the magnitude of until it was gone.

The dark blanket the strange King had gifted him still lay around his waist. Ardyn gripped the luxuriously soft material, intending to bring it up around his shoulders, but recoiled. It was soaking wet! An odd stickiness that stayed on his hands and had him tilting them in the fire light, examining them. 

"Blood?" He questioned. He quickly looked over himself, but could see no source of it, his skin pink and clean, only a few unfamiliar scars on his chest.

"Could it be... his?" He stared hesitantly at the dark haired man. Was he dead? Was that not what he'd implied would happen to him? 

Ardyn sat there, staring blankly at the King, still reeling from the fact that those events had really happened. A very large part of him just wanted to close his eyes and return to the old pleasant dreams. The ones that had seen him through who knew how long in Somnus' prison.

But no, that meant returning to a lie. For what had made those dreams so enjoyable had been the company within them. And he wasn't ready to subject himself to that fantasy quite yet.

He gently, reverently touched a hand to the man's shoulder. 

He never could have imagined it. This King who chose to go against what the Gods and his ancestors had told him. Surely most would have blindly followed through on the prophecy. Would have seen Ardyn as nothing but an evil monster. And Somnus had even chained him up so he could offer no resistance.

What had made this man hesitate? If the stories Somnus had passed down had been anything at all like the rumours he'd spread before 'that day', Ardyn would never have expected any of the courtesy or kindness this man had offered.

He could feel no remnant magic in the air from the spirits who'd entered his body, or from that bright light. He wished he could ask his brother why. Why had this man, who knew only fairy tales, nothing of Ardyn, been the one to see him. Why had his own brother forsaken him?

What had this man seen, that Somnus could not?

Ardyn bowed his head, gripping the man's shoulder, and prepared himself to give him last rites. Words he had spoken many times on the road, when he was too late to reach a person in need. It was the least he could do, though nothing could express the gratitude he felt. Even if he was still terrified of what awaited him beyond the prison doors. 

Would the people out there help him? Or would they brand him a monster, a kingslayer? Would they try to kill him, for living while their King died?

Before Ardyn could open his mouth to start the rite, a softly rattled moan caught his attention.

"By the gods." His hoarse voice whispered, "He's still alive?"

He reached down to grip the man's shoulders, rolling him gently up onto Ardyn's lap so he could examine him. The source of all the blood quickly became apparent. His back was coated in it, though the black fabric had hidden it from his view at first. Large tears cut through the fabric, revealing slivers of pale skin and wounds still slowly weeping blood.

Ardyn's hands hovered over the King's back, overwhelmed. There was too much damage for a quick spell to fix, if he could even still cast magic, and Ardyn had none of the potions he used to carry with him on his travels, all of them spent during his final trek to the capital.

He didn't even think about trying to carry the King to the people he'd claimed were outside, his body far too weak for such a task.

No. There was only one thing he could do. Assuming the Gods hadn't taken that ability from him when they'd forsaken him.

He carefully, quickly, ripped the foreign shirt and jacket off the King, using a summoned dagger to cut it off. His movements were efficient and practised, the only time he paused was to briefly soothe the King when he started to twitch and try to get away from Ardyn's hands.

All he could think was, good. If the man still had so much fight in him, then he had a chance.

Now bare to the waist, his saviour looked a lot smaller in his lap. It was almost comical that Ardyn had been so afraid of him when he'd first woken to an angry voice.

Ardyn closed blue eyes, pressing both hands to the red, angry wounds on the small back and began to chant.

"Blessed Star of light and life. Blessed Gods who rule above. Grant me the strength to heal thy children. I take their sickness. I take their suffering. I take their wounds. Let them be restored."

It was an ancient spell. One that had started Ardyn down the path to his imprisonment, adapted from ancient Solheim texts. By the end, he hadn't needed to say the words out loud anymore, simply being near someone had allowed him to take the scourge from them.

It was originally used to heal physical wounds, not the Scourge. But Ardyn had persisted in his study of it until his first breakthrough when he was twenty. He’d never used it on wounds this severe during his experimentation. But he had no choice if he wanted to give his savior a chance at surviving. Ardyn’s magical stores were practically empty, and this spell would make the most of what remained.

A soft glow began to emanate from the tips of his fingers. He didn't have the attention to spare on a sigh of relief that he could still call it up, instead focusing on sending the healing magic through the body. There was so much damage, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to heal it enough.

In addition to the thirteen cuts on his back, the little King’s right hand was a mess of cracked and blackened skin. It didn’t feel or look life threatening, so he left it, focusing his energy on where it was needed most. Slowly and steadily the internal wounds began to close. 

The blood stopped flowing. There was nothing to be done for what had already been lost. It would take days for the King to recover, if he lived.

He grunted, a sharp pain digging into his back.

He hadn't healed like this in many years. He'd forgotten how much it hurt, taking on someone’s physical wounds.

But Etro would not have this man's soul. Not if he could help it. 

A ragged cough disturbed his concentration, his hands slipping off a back still slick with blood. The faint golden glow faded back into his hands. Frustration welled up at the interruption. He tried to call up the golden light once more, but nothing happened. He was too lightheaded with magical eshaustion to start again.

Perhaps it was for the best he'd been forced to stop, else the King's attempt to save him might have been wasted. The wounds were not completely healed, but the smaller man was no longer in danger of dying. Only large, angry scabs remained, which would soon fade to large scars.

He did it. Perhaps the Gods hadn't completely forsaken him after all.

Now that he was no longer singularly focused on healing, he realized that he was panting, groaning with the pain in his back. He was almost grateful for it. For it was a new feeling, pain in places he'd hadn't felt in all these long years. Proof once again that all this was real.

Except why was it so hard to take a proper breath?

The body under his slumped torso moved, or tried to. Ardyn forced himself to sit up enough so he could roll the man onto his side, and off of Ardyn's protesting knees.

His saviour's face scrunched up, his patchy beard partially hiding the grimace. No doubt the man's back was aching even worse than Ardyn's was right now.

Blue eyes eventually blinked up at him, "What? I'm alive? How did I-?"

Ardyn couldn't answer quite yet, still struggling to catch his breath.

"I should be dead." The words were forced out of grit teeth, as the King struggled and failed to sit up.

"Almost." Ardyn managed to get out, shaking his head. Recovering from a healing had never taken so long before. Now he was doubly glad he hadn't pushed himself harder. It was a habit of a lifetime and one he’d never tried to break.

A hand touching his had him opening eyes he hadn't even realized he'd closed. Ardyn's hand was pressed against the centre of his chest, the place where most of the damage had been done to the other man's body. He wouldn't be surprised if the two of them would develop matching scars there.

"Did... you heal me?" The King's voice was awed. It was a tone he'd gotten used to hearing in his travels. It was odd hearing it from the man who had done what even the gods had declared impossible.

King Noctis' unsteady hand slid down and gripped Ardyn's shaking forearm. Then he pulled it away, and Ardyn almost collapsed then and there. A flash of blue light signified he'd summoned something, a glass flask of some kind, only to immediately shatter it between them.

Ardyn gasped. A flash of light washing over him, some of his energy restored. His trembling stopped. His breath came easier, his lungs no longer feeling like they'd collapsed in on themselves.

Slowly, careful of his wounds, the King pulled himself up until he was kneeling before Ardyn, he gripped Ardyn's shoulders and quietly said, "Thank you."

He shook his head, dismissing the sentiment out of long ingrained habit, even if internally it warmed him to hear.

"What was that?"

"That was my last elixir. I used the rest to keep myself together long enough to get here. It's a short boost, no substitute for a proper rest. Should give us just enough to get out of here."

"Out... there?" Ardyn hesitated. 

The small King gave him a surprisingly open and carefree smile. Times must have truly changed significantly, for a King to behave the way this one did. Ardyn, while slightly unsettled by it, finds himself glad.

It takes a few attempts, but they finally are both able to find their feet. Ardyn’s shaky legs don’t want to take his weight, his whole body aching.

"Will you tell me, someday? What happened?"

Ardyn pressed his lips together. 

"I only know what your brother was willing to share. I'd like to hear it from you." The King added belatedly when Ardyn said nothing, "When you're ready to talk about it."

+++

Ignis was the first to turn his head away from the dawn.

The others stayed where they were, eyes opened or closed, enjoying the sight and feeling of the sun for the first time in over five years. 

Queen Lunafreya and Prince Ravus stood apart from them, leaning on each other.

When she'd first emerged from the prison, leaving his Majesty behind, Ignis had feared the worst. She had refused to tell them why King Noctis had been so furious, or what had transpired between the two of them in Adagium's prison. All she'd said was that the future of the world was in the King's hands, and that they must continue to have faith.

Faith was something Ignis had never lacked when it came to Noctis, so he could only assume she was reassuring herself, more than them.

It had been unsettling, but there was nothing he could do about it. And Gods did it chafe. 

Even if he'd had ten years to get used to not having the Prince at his side, his absence had always ached like a lost limb. The phantom pains strongest whenever he found himself making a food that Noct had felt strongly about, whether it was positive or negative. Then, when his King had finally returned, it was to learn that it was only temporary. And he could do nothing to change his fate.

He knew Noctis would not fail to bring back the dawn. He had faith. But they waited in the dark for far longer than Ignis would have thought. And with no sounds of battle coming from the prison either. He'd expected the daemons to try and stop them, or at least attempt to protect their source within the prison. But there had been nothing but silence.

Until the inhuman screams.

Until the stone door of the prison had been blown apart by a burst of white magic. What they had all assumed signified the completion of the ritual. The immediate brightening of the sky had quickly proven it to be so.

Ignis shivered at the memory, the sound still haunting his ears, and turned fully towards the entrance. A part of him had hoped to see his King striding out of the door, his old carefree attitude returned. But he knew that was just a fantasy.

Ignis looked back to Gladio and Prompto, debating how much longer he should give them, before asking them to accompany him inside to retrieve whatever was left of their King. They all deserved time to enjoy the moment for as long as they desired.

A distinct, light tapping sound pricked his ears, making his heart race before his mind could begin to process what the sound could mean.

His head jerked around, and he stared in awe at the sight that greeted him, sure that his eyes were deceiving him.

Two men, arms wrapped around each other, were stumbling forward along the corridor. The larger one was using the wall to support him, while the shorter was using a cane. In the back of his mind that wasn't frozen, Ignis was indignant that someone would use his Majesty as a crutch. But by the way Noctis leaned on him just as heavily, it was clear it was a mutual effort.

The two hesitated at the threshold, where a bright sun beam cut through the dark interior. Ignis watched in silence, fearing it was a hallucination, as the larger man blinked rapidly, wincing as if he was unused to such a bright light.

As soon as they took that last step forward, the unknown man let out a cry, and they collapsed to their knees.

The others exclaiming in shock to the sound broke Ignis out of his frozen state. It convinced him it was real. He sprinted the short distance to his King. 

"Noct!" He skidded to a stop, falling to his knees, reaching for Noctis, but hesitated with the unknown man intertwined at his side. "How are you- you're alive!"

"Hey Iggy." The other man passed a dopey, smiling Noctis off to Ignis with no comment, allowing him to envelope the younger man in a crushing hug. 

The unknown man sat back on his heels, closed his blue eyes, and tilted his head up. A small smile on his face, clearly enjoying the sun.

Ignis was so overwhelmed in his joy he almost missed the sounds of the others arriving.

“Hey guys.” Noctis greeted the others, a hint of his old cheekiness softened by clear exhaustion.

Ignis closed his eyes and griped him tight, ignoring the drying blood on his naked torso, instead smiling at Gladio’s outraged, “Hey guys? You bastard. Don’t you ‘Hey guys’ us! Again! And who the hell is this?”

Ignis laughed freely for the first time in years. The relief so heady he almost burst into tears.

"Uh..." Noctis hesitated, shifting in Ignis' grip. Then continued firmly, no longer teasing, "This is my Uncle."

"What?" Prompto's squeak of surprise almost drowning out the deeper, "What?" Of the other unkempt and bare chested man. Ignis opened his eyes to see nothing but shock on the other man's face.

"I mean-" Noctis' voice turned oddly shy, "If that's OK with you."

The voices of Gladio, Prompto and Ravus all talking over themselves and demanding an explanation stopped the man from replying. Ignis was slightly embarrassed at their lack of manners and decorum but could forgive their giddy relief.

The man eventually tilted his head to Noctis, acknowledging or conceding to Noctis' request, Ignis wasn't sure. Ignis would be sure to get the story later. Right now he was too busy marveling that Noctis was alive, and enjoying sitting in the warmth of the sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long delay in posting this. I had it almost complete for a long time but just wasn't happy with how I ended it. Changing the end to be from Ignis' perspective as well as adding Noctis introducing Ardyn as his Uncle finally left me feeling happy with the ending. Hope you all enjoyed it :)


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